A morphine-induced post from Tycho? That'd be short and straightforward. ;)

I'm praying for you and expect to see you back here in excellent shape ASAP. That goes for you both. :thumbsup:

10-21-2008

LTBasker

Hope everything goes smooth, Tycho, and you're back with us soon enough!

10-21-2008

JediTricks

I'm afraid that there is no transplant today, it may be 2 more months before they can do it. Tycho told me he'd be posting personally about this, but since it's 2 in the afternoon and still no word from him, and you guys are all wondering, I felt you should know.

Anyway, let's keep a positive attitude about this, they didn't say no transplant, just not right now.

10-21-2008

Rocketboy

Quote:

Originally Posted by El Chuxter

A morphine-induced post from Tycho? That'd be short and straightforward. ;)

Or the longest list ever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by JT

I'm afraid that there is no transplant today, it may be 2 more months before they can do it. Tycho told me he'd be posting personally about this, but since it's 2 in the afternoon and still no word from him, and you guys are all wondering, I felt you should know.

Anyway, let's keep a positive attitude about this, they didn't say no transplant, just not right now.

Well that sucks, but I'm glad to hear it isn't a "No."

He can think of it like Hasbro delaying a new wave.

10-22-2008

Lord Malakite

I know this isn't much JT, but if you talk to him again before he post here you can tell Tycho that Fox picked up the additional 9 or so episodes for the Sarah Conner Chronicles giving it a complete second season. That should make him a bit happier.

10-22-2008

Tycho

My Kidney Transplant Did NOT Happen

OK, you guys should hear it from me as soon as possible. You have no idea how hard this news hit me - and I was really downtrodden about coming back online and posting about this.

But the whole business of reporting my situation and being blessed enough to find a donor, all actually started here, online, so here is where I'll confront the reality of the situation first.

You all are my best online family I could ever wish for and have all been tremendously supportive of me, so I am acting with the utmost grattitude while I post this.

Basically, I have a really strong immune system that has something in it that fights my donor's genetics, and it would kill their kidney within a year of it being transplanted.

As Droid pointed out about his father-to-uncle donation that's lasted an INCREDIBLE 31 years with both family members doing awesome still, this thing can really work if we wait and do it right. That's on me right now.

I have to continue sitting hooked up to a dialysis machine and have my blood cleaned 3 days a week for 4 hours out of each day, and then on one of my days away from it all, I have to spend 6-8 hours on an IV drip with "super-immune-systems boosters" to really hyper-activate my immune system. Professional medical experience is that once I'm boosted, my body will turn off my immune-system as it can't think I'll possibly need more (white blood cells, or something like that - I don't understand it as well as I should) and then with dialysis, they'll take everything out of me and I can respond to the medacines I'll need to not reject my donor's transplant.

The process will wind up causing me terrible fevers and chills, and cramps in my legs so bad, there will be times I won't be able to drive or even walk, and I've already had experiences literally screaming from such pain (Charlie horses and what not, as fluid is removed and my legs get drained).

The same donor I thought was giving me a kidney yesterday, will possibly end up being my donor after all - but this person will unfortunately not be available again until early next year. Another blood type O+ could work out immediately and (O-) is fine too. A "Type 2 of Blood Type A" would also work - maybe immediately (but maybe not - as my immune system is rather strong my doctors have told me). However 85% of Type A's would require I go through this immune system boost and purge to even be considering them. (My donor doesn't really have to do anything) But if I'm doing this, I have the best chance of it working out with my original donor anyway. But I guess several of my Type A friends are nevertheless going to test. If there's the 15% chance any of them are Type 2, and then we're off again.

I've almost died twice. Many of you remember my brain aneurysm I had in 2005. It was definitely related and is a possible occurance with many kinds of kidney failures. Then, since I have swollen and blistering, HUGE kidneys, mine can burst, as one did on July 1st of this year, and I could die from internal bleeding. However, a friend got me to the hospital just in time that occurence. I'll try not to do these things, but it's really not all in my control.
So, the sooner I can get things taken care of, the better it will be.

Along the way, my mid-section hurts every day and it's uncomfortable to dress nice or even eat sometimes.

Also, the doctors are not removing my bad kidneys that can break right away. If a new kidney isn't working (and a good many times they don't start immediately) they want my originals in place a little longer (like a few months longer) so I still have some function.

So you can see, that even with a successful transplant, I'll still have organs inside me that can suffer a fatal catastrophe for a significant period after my surgery.

This post isn't about being a living donor, or leaving your organs to donation after you pass (via a donor card on your drivers' license or instructions in your will or advance directive), but I think it's so important to mention it. Someone else can dig up that statistics on how many people are desperate out there to find this kind of assistance that they'll need just to survive.

But anyway, I hope that in 5 weeks at the very minimal, but more likely by early next year, my original donor and I will work out, or else, someone else will.

In the meanwhile, I plan to survive with dialysis for a little while longer, and stick with my medications and follow my diet. I've actually been very good at doing that and my donor was quite satisfied that I'm taking my responsibilities very seriously.

Meanwhile, I'll start the treatment to boost and then weaken my immune system. But I am extremely frightened that this will be very, very painful for me. The more fluids I have adding to my mass, the worse the cramps I'll get when they take it out of me again (Charlie horses from hell for starters, where I can't move my feet and lower legs to drive or even walk - and I'm terrified of that kind of paralysis occurring when I'm behind the wheel). The other side effects include fevers and chills. When you're home and you can hit a cold or warm shower, that's one thing. When I'm going crazy in the dialysis chair, shivering or sweating - often both at different times - it's torture. And I get cramps on top of that.

I screamed my head off at the chief of the surgery department yesterday and let him know just that. I hope I waited until I could be a bit nicer before I told all of you.

- Josh

10-22-2008

mtriv73

I was really praying that this would all be over with for you (in a good way) by today.

I hope they can induce anergy in all your T-cells soon so the transplant can proceed. Do you know what they're giving you in the IV drip? It sounds like it might be a sort of allergy-shot-(not literally)-on-steroids to tolerize you to the donors MHC type. I didn't know they did that but if it works it's brilliant.

We're all thinking about you. I hope you get the transplant the very minute it has the best chance of working for you.

10-22-2008

Mr. JabbaJohnL

That's too bad that it didn't work out yesterday, but hang in there. I think waiting a little while longer will be worth it just to make sure that it all works out in the best way possible.

10-22-2008

Tycho

Thanks John.

MTriv: it's IVIG protocals (intra-veinus immunoglobulin) which is the first step.

I have to spend 8 hours at the hospital taking in giant IV bags of fluid which will literally make me scream when they take it all off me in dialysis.

It's like gaining 10 lbs (or more) and then having it ripped right out of you the very next day.

I'm thinking that maybe I can spend longer than my usual 3 hours actually on the dialysis machine, so they can take it off me more slowly. I'll ask today if that will help. So that's another day gone - hooked up to machines. :mad:

10-22-2008

Slicker

That's really unfortunate Josh. Obviously I hope all works out and I hope the donor is still willing to go through with it. Still many big props to both you and the other donor. He's a helluva guy. :thumbsup: